Internationally-Educated Applicants

Steps in the Registration Process

1. Establish academic eligibility

The College must confirm that your education is substantially equivalent to that of an occupational therapist educated in Canada. Substantially equivalent means that your qualifications and competence must be equivalent, but not identical, in all essential respects, to those of Canadian-educated occupational therapists.

To determine your academic equivalency, you must complete the Substantial Equivalency Assessment System, also known as SEAS. SEAS is administered by the Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulatory Associations (ACOTRO). SEAS is a multi-part assessment consisting of:

Academic Credential Assessment (ACA)

SEAS Language Assessment

Curriculum and Fieldwork - PSCA Review

Jurisprudence Knowledge Assessment Test (JKAT)

Competency Assessment Interview

It may take up to one year for you to complete the SEAS process. Applicants requiring accommodations may submit a request in writing to ACOTRO; see SEAS Frequently Asked Questions. All steps except the Competency Assessment Interview may be completed outside of Canada.

Your SEAS final disposition report must be sent directly to the College from ACOTRO. This report will also be provided to you by ACOTRO when you have completed the SEAS process.

2. Application for registration

Complete an online application form and submit supporting documentation (see below). The application form is a legal document. You must answer all sections completely and accurately. Please read this page before completing an application form. Unless indicated below, all supporting documentation may be uploaded electronically.

Evidence Required:

A completed online application form. Incomplete application forms will not be processed.

3. Compile required documentation

Applicants for registration must be able to demonstrate that they meet the following registration requirements ( please note that any supporting documentation in any other language other than English or French must be sent with a certified translation):

a. Proof of Identity

The name you provide on your application from will be the name that is entered on the College register, and must be the same name by which your clients and colleagues will know you. Your registration card, certificate, and tax receipt and all correspondence from the College will all be issued in this name.

Evidence Required:

•Photo identification. You must mail to the College a notarized passport size photograph with your application (This is a photograph certified by a notary public, not a guarantor or commissioner of oath).

If your name has changed, you must list all your previous names so your application can be processed properly.

If any of the documents in your application were issued under a previous name, you must include an official document (such as a marriage license) that verifies your name change.

b. Eligibility to work in Canada

In order to be employed as an occupational therapist in Nova Scotia, you must have legal authorization to work in Canada. Only Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada and individuals with Canadian work permits have the right to work in Canada.

Evidence Required:

Official documentation acceptable includes copy of Canadian birth certificate, Canadian passport, proof of landed immigrant resident status or copy of a valid work permit. Documentation may be uploaded with your application as a PDF.

c. English language fluency

In Nova Scotia, health care is primarily delivered in English with some pockets of French. It is critical that you be able to communicate with clients and other health care providers in English. You must be able to demonstrate ability to read, write, listen to and speak English proficiently. You must provide proof of your English language proficiency.

Evidence Required:

Graduation from a Canadian University or

English language proficiency must be demonstrated with one of the following tests sent directly to the College:

Test scores in reading, writing, listening and speaking must be provided to COTNS. For the test scores required to demonstrate proficiency please review the Language Proficiency Policy. Applicants applying through the SEAS process do not require language test scores to be sent to the College as these are included in the SEAS disposition letter.

d. Demonstration of professional liability insurance

Every occupational therapist practising in Nova Scotia must have professional liability insurance coverage to a minimum of $5,000,000.00 with a legal expenses endorsement for investigation of complaints by a regulatory body prior to engaging in the practice of occupational therapy.

Professional liability insurance for OTs can be purchased through CAOT if you are a member of CAOT. See the CAOT website for more information. You may also purchase Professional liability insurance directly through an insurer such as AON Healthcare Advantage.

Many of the hospitals and health care agencies that employ occupational therapists purchase insurance that covers their employees while they are working for that agency. This type of insurance does not cover any services the OT provides as a volunteer or outside this practice setting. You must ensure that this coverage includes a legal expenses endorsement for investigation of complaints by a regulatory body prior to engaging in the practice of occupational therapy.

Evidence Required:

An original insurance certificate if you have purchased professional liability insurance.

If your insurance coverage is provided by your employer, you must indicate that on your application form. Your employer must send a letter to prove that you have the proper insurance coverage if their coverage is provided by an insurance provider that is not on the above list.

Documentation may be uploaded with your application as a PDF.

e. Demonstration of good conduct and regulatory history

The College has an obligation to protect the public and needs to be satisfied that you do not pose a danger to clients. You are required to declare any of the following:

Any disciplinary finding as an occupational therapist or in another profession in Nova Scotia or anther jurisdiction.

Conviction of a criminal, drug, or traffic offence, excluding minor traffic offences such as parking or speeding.

Any finding of liability in a civil proceeding.

If you are currently under criminal investigation or have a pending criminal or civil court date.

Evidence Required:

A self-declaration made on your application form. If you answer yes to any of the declarations, the College will ask you to send more information, such as a transcript of the criminal record. The College will use this information to decide if you are eligible for registration and, if applicable, to determine if conditions should be imposed on your registration.

Regulatory History forms from all jurisdictions (including international jurisdictions) in which the applicant has practiced occupational therapy sent directly from the regulatory body to the College. Complete the top part of the Regulatory History Form, send it to each of your previous regulatory or licensing organizations, and ask them to complete the form and forward it to the College. If there is an area of concern identified by one of your previous regulators, you will be contacted by the College. You will be asked to provide more information regarding the nature and timing of the offense or concern and how the issue has been managed or resolved. Your eligibility for registration will depend on the nature, timing and severity of the issue.

f. Currency hours

It is important that you practise occupational therapy in order to maintain your skills, and keep up to date with recent change in practice. This requirement is met if you have successfully completed the SEAS program in the past 18 months.

Evidence Required:

A curriculum vitae outlining your employment history with the corresponding currency hours broken down by year may be considered satisfactory to meet this requirement. This may be uploaded with your application as a word document or PDF.

A letter or record of employment from each of your employers in the past 5 years, stating that you were employed as an OT, your period of employment, and the hours you worked each year may be requested by the Registrar.

g. Payment of annual registration fee

The annual registration fee is $450.00 and the application fee for internationally-educated new applicants is $75. You must pay this in Canadian funds. The fee is pro-rated should you wish to practice for 3 months or less in a given registration year (June - May). Payment may be made by cheque, credit card or money order, payable to the College.

4. Membership with the Nova Scotia Society of Occupational Therapists

The Occupational Therapists Act Section 27(2) requires that all registrants with the College pay the membership fees of the Nova Scotia Society of Occupational Therapists within one month of their initial registration and subsequently on the Societies renewal date; however, the College has determined that it does not have the legislative authority to enforce membership with the Society. While the College recommends applicants and registrants maintain membership with the Society, the College will not deny or suspend registration for those applicants and registrants that choose not to pay the annual fee to the Society. Please see this letter for further details.

The National Occupational Therapy Certification Examination (NOTCE) is a mandatory requirement of registration with the College. The examination ensures that all individuals entering the profession of occupational therapy have met a minimum standard in the written application of academic knowledge and professional behavior. This exam is administered by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT). You must apply to CAOT to write the NOTCE. Applicants requiring accommodations must submit a request in writing to CAOT; please see CAOT's Accommodation Policy for details. The NOTCE can only be completed within Canada.

Applicants are eligible to practice under sponsorship, while waiting to successfully complete the NOTCE, for a maximum period of one year. Applicants must provide evidence that they are scheduled to write the next sitting of the NOTCE. Please review the document Provisional Practising Certificate of Registration for more information.

Evidence Required:

A copy of your exam result or certificate is required as evidence that you have successfully completed the exam. Documentation may be uploaded with your application as a PDF.

If you have not successfully completed the examination you must provide proof that you are scheduled to write in the next sitting. If you intend to practice prior to receiving your exam results, you must also include a sponsorship form with your application.

Before you register with the College, you should contact all the other organizations that will need your original documents. Find out which documents they need and what the fees are. That way you can ask your sources to send original documents to each organization. Some of the organizations that may need your documents are: the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (to write the CAOT exam), ACOTRO, and Immigration Canada.

Completed Applications may require 10 business days to be processed.

REMEMBER

You cannot begin working as an Occupational Therapist in Nova Scotia until you have received notice from the College that your application has been approved.

·A copy of your exam result or certificate is required as evidence that you have successfully completed the exam. Documentation may be uploaded with your application as a PDF.

If you have not successfully completed the examination you must provide proof that you are scheduled to write in the next sitting. If you intend to practice prior to receiving your exam results, you must also include a sponsorship form with your application.